Toes
by jasonxpiper510
Summary: A look into the life of TJ and Spinelli's relationship set fifteen years after the show. After being blissfully content in a 2 year relationship, TJ comes to the sudden realization that he wants more from Spinelli during a simple Saturday morning ritual. One-shot. My first fanfic!
Author's note: Hey everyone! This is my first ever fanfic (a oneshot), and it's actually random that I'm writing it about Spinelli and TJ from Recess. I never thought I'd be posting anything, but well, here goes nothing. Reviews are definitely appreciated (even if it's constructive, but be nice!). This is rated T. Oh and of course, I do not own the show Recess nor the characters in it. All Recess rights belong to Paul Germain and Joe Ansolabehere. Nor do I own Adventure Time, The Simpsons, and South Park (though I super wish!) which is featured in this story. Enjoy the story!

Toes

She could feel the flow of air coming from their cheap air conditioner situated in between the couch and the wall. Usually, the AC wouldn't have done an adequate enough job of cooling her down since most summer days averaged a rough 90 degrees, but today was surprisingly pleasant with the weatherman announcing that their Saturday would be in the wonderful low 80's. So the AC felt amazing as it fanned her face and reached down to her toes.

Speaking of her toes…

Spinelli opened her eyes to view TJ sitting at the far end of the couch, eyes ardently watching Saturday morning cartoons. After fifteen years, he couldn't bury his love for his Saturday morning ritual, even if the cartoons sucked more nowadays.

Absentmindedly, he was playing with her toes that were sitting nicely on his lap. Spinelli couldn't help but smile, but she repressed the laugh from the tickling sensation. He would only use that to his advantage.

She observed him, watching as his eyes would move back and forth as he religiously watched some show about a kid with a weird white hat and his very elastic dog. What was it called? _Adventure Time?_ She didn't really know, having quite outgrown her own love for cartoons (but of course, still reserving space for special shows like _The Simpsons_ and _South Park_ ). TJ was so cute as laughs would escape his lips and his childlike smile remained plastered on his face. His hair was in disarray from sleep and he wasn't wearing his usual red cap, but from her spot on the couch, she could see a glimpse of it hanging on a lamp right by their front door. Her eyes traveled downward, and she successfully withheld the blush as she took in her boyfriend's naked chest and sweats-clad body. She would never live it down if he were to catch her checking him out. In many ways, 24-year-old TJ was the same since she met him.

But in many other ways, he was different. One big difference of course, was their status.

Unbelievably, at least to her, they have been going out for almost two years now. After going to different colleges and coming back to their hometown once they got their respective degrees, they got to know each other even more, having grown so much in four to five years in college, with TJ finally asking her out one August night.

Spinelli remembered it clearly, how he chuckled nervously asking her out on a date, while fiddling with his signature red cap. To his surprise, she effectively shut him up with a peck on the cheek and a promise to meet him at Risotto's at 7. That night, he revealed to her how he had a crush on her back in fourth grade after that "earth-shattering" kiss and he couldn't stop thinking about her since then. She smirked from across the candlelit table, having him beat since _she_ told him that she liked him _before_ the kiss. He only laughed, wishing he knew that piece of information since he didn't have the courage to ask her out all those years ago. It was okay though. That night was the beginning of their relationship, and not once did Spinelli ever regret saying yes to him and she wouldn't have it any other way.

TJ was engrossed in his TV show for another fifteen minutes before commercial cut in. Finally taking a break, he noticed his Spinelli smiling at him.

"Morning gorgeous," he said.

"Teej, it's 11:17 am and you said that three hours ago," she responded.

"What? I can't call my girlfriend gorgeous twice in one day?" he smiled slyly. She knew what he wanted: an inviting blush on her behalf.

Spinelli was still a tough cookie though, and she stuck up her chin indignantly, defying what he wanted. "It's still morning," she said as she crossed her arms.

He only laughed, playing along with her game, still not noticing how playing with her toes was starting to tickle her again. "Whatever you say Spinelli. So how was last night?"

She shrugged, but her smug grew softer until it became a rare kind of smile—the smile only reserved for her best girlfriend. "It was good. I missed Gretchen."

"Yeah, I miss her too. Though, it is cool to say that our best friend is already the jet-setting, ass-kicking recipient of a Nobel Prize for her discovery on the link between microcephaly and the Zinka virus."

"The what now?"

"Eh, don't make me say it again. It's hard to even remember it let alone utter it twice. So what did you talk about then if not her award? Girl stuff?"

"Pretty much," she said as she vaguely registered the McDonalds commercial on the screen. She was starting to get hungry. "Catching up, is all."

"About rainbows and ponies and daffodils?" he joked.

That only gave him a warning glare from her. "Teej…" she started with an edge to her voice.

"And fluffykins teddy bears and nail polish," he egged on.

Spinelli almost wanted to retort, but then she remembered that while she was not into teddy bears anymore, she did have an expansive collection of OPI nail polish stacked neatly in their bathroom (mind you, it consisted mainly of dark hues—barely any pinks thank you very much)—which he knew of course. In fact, he would sometimes surprise her with a bottle of nail polish when he would get home from work. Not wanting to dignify him with an answer though, another brilliant idea came up instead. "No we didn't talk about that, we just talked about the usual. You know, boys and all."

That certainly stopped him from laughing. "Oh?"

"Yeah. In fact, it was a funny coincidence last night. We both ran into Johnny V. Do you remember him from elementary school?"

He nodded his head, a little twitchy. He was in a hard place. Acting too nonchalant, he wouldn't get any information from her (come on, what boyfriend wouldn't want to hear about his hot girlfriend's ex-crush?), but acting as concerned as he wanted to be, poor TJ would just be eating out of the palm of her hand like she wanted. Ooh, Spinelli fought dirty. BUT he was TJ Detweiler, known for his smooth and easy-going talking. He wouldn't go down easy. "Yeah I remember him," he quipped. "He was in 5th grade though when we were in 4th. How is he?"

"He's doing well. He's in medical school now for dentistry, can you believe it? He even said once he's done, I can be his first patient."

"You're kidding."

"Nope, he really did mean it," she chuckled. Closing her eyes, she didn't have to see him to know that he was looking at her suspiciously. She could visualize him now: eyes boring onto her to see if she was telling the truth, a faint pink tint on his cheeks from trying to hide his envy, but more so, the look of fear that she was _indeed_ telling the truth. Usually, the last point would make her cave in to TJ since she didn't like it when he was sad, and deep down, both of them knew they loved each other very much… then again, he did taunt her with "fluffykins teddy bears." Really, let him squirm for a little bit, she thought mirthfully.

A few slow and agonizing minutes passed for TJ as he tried to decipher his girlfriend's spiel. More often than he liked, he found himself once again being outdone by his sly other half. He may have been TJ Detweiler, but _she_ was Ash—err, the one and only Spinelli. _Adventure Time_ came on, but he couldn't drag his eyes away from her. Not taking it anymore, he decided to just be upfront. "Are you really gonna see him?"

"Dunno. Don't you wanna watch your show babe?"

"Can't," he said sadly.

She popped one eye open and saw the puppy dog look on his face. She sighed and smiled playfully at him. "Oh come on, you really think I'd see Johnny V? You know I'm kidding."

TJ exclaimed, "I knew it. I knew you were just pretending!" As he was saying this, he proceeded to grab her feet and squeeze her toes.

This completely shocked Spinelli and she let out a giggle. But as soon as she quelled it, it had been too late. TJ had one eyebrow raised at her response. It was rare for Spinelli to feel a pang of fear, and looking at her boyfriend's naughty brown eyes, she knew she was done for. She tried to cast him an icy glare, but he soon started fiddling with her toes, and she couldn't contain the uncontrollable laughter that erupted.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" TJ smirked.

"S-Stop! Please! TJ haha, I'm gonna… Haha," she half pleaded and half threatened.

"Stop what? Oh… you mean, _this?"_ He mercilessly started tickling her feet and toes, and Spinelli tried in vain to stay in control. But she laughed senselessly until tears sprouted from her eyes and her stomach started to hurt. At some point she tried to squirm her way out of TJ's grasp, but he wasn't going to lose this battle.

"This little toe went to the nail salon. And this little toe went to WWE Monday Night Raw," he said, as he proceeded to tickle every single one of her toe.

"TJ! Stop! Haha! F-Freaking a, what do you want, haha!" she said, finally giving into his whims.

"Tell me you love me," TJ replied with an innocent smile.

"Okay, okay! Haha, I love you, haha! Now s-stop!" she gasped through giggles.

To her utter relief, he did and he instead rubbed her feet which elicited a relaxing moan from her.

"Hmm, I think I like this Spinelli instead," he joked as he shifted his body so that he was now laying next to her on the couch and kissed her button nose. She was still a little jittery from the tickle fest, but nonetheless her arms snaked around his neck to pull him a little closer.

"TJ Detweiler, you're an idiot," she said, though her adoring eyes and soft smile betrayed her words. She quickly drank in his features, and the same reciprocated smile that was similar to her own. She didn't know how she could've gotten so lucky; having him as a boyfriend and a best friend was something she only dreamed about. Unknown to her, TJ was thinking the exact same thing as he lovingly caressed her face and memorized every small, but beautiful detail about her. He loved the way her silky raven strands would glide under his fingertips, how her faded freckles became more contrasted when her cheeks colored, and as a man, he definitely noticed the lips that soothed him, yelled at him, and overall expressed all the love she had for him on a daily basis. Laying with Spinelli now, an unexpected idea sprouted in his head, and he was almost floored with how soon he started to feel this way. But looking into her eyes, he couldn't deny it anymore than he could deny his love for Saturday morning cartoons. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. As automatic as a reflex, he told her how much he loved her.

Putting an end to their conversation, she brought him in for a heated kiss, and they heavily made out well until his TV show was over.

Breaking away, he grinned. "I should play with your toes more often."


End file.
